The third series finds Moriarty well and truly dead, and a new villain taunting the ‘tecs in the shape of Lars Mikkelsen’s Charles Augustus Magnussen, a version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Charles Augustus Milverton. As usual, the new series will be three feature-length episodes, The Empty Hearse, The Sign Of Three and His Last Vow.

Looking at this first official picture of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s John Watson, they technically could have brought us Ghost Holmes and had Watson solving crimes with the help of his phantom best friend that only he can see. Even if it would play out a bit like So Haunt Me…

As for when we’ll actually see the show? There has been no official date announced for the UK yet, though PBS across the pond has set Jan 19 as the premiere for the first episode in the States, so we’d expect the BBC to show it earlier in January. New Year’s Day launch like last time? Don’t count it out…